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This is a condensed excerpt from a longer interview, edited for clarity and brevity. We’ve focused on the most actionable insights for VR Collective readers. Watch the full interview on our media channel.
Bob Cooney:
Let’s start at the top. Why did you start vrCAVE, and what was the landscape like back then?
Alex Rossol:
We started vrCAVE in 2016. At that time, most VR was single-player, isolated, and honestly a bit gimmicky for groups. My brother and I wanted to build something truly social—where friends, families, or coworkers could collaborate, communicate, and physically move together in the same space. Escape rooms were already a phenomenon, so VR escape rooms were a natural evolution for us. We saw an opportunity to bring the magic of physical escape rooms into VR, but with fewer physical constraints and more creative potential.
Bob:
What did you see as the big advantage of VR over traditional escape rooms?
Alex:
The main thing is the ability to do the impossible. In VR, you can be on a space station, underwater, in ancient temples, or anywhere you can imagine—without building elaborate sets. That lets us make puzzles and experiences you just can’t do in the real world. The other huge advantage is safety and flexibility. We can design challenges that would be risky or cost-prohibitive in a physical room, but are totally achievable and scalable in VR.
Bob:
Early on, you were one of the first to use backpack PCs for free-roam VR. What were the technical challenges?
Alex:
It was the Wild West. We had to make sure the tech was solid—networking, tracking, headsets, and the PC backpacks themselves. If anything failed, it broke the whole experience. We learned the hard way to keep things simple, have lots of redundancies, and build for reliability first, then add complexity. We didn’t want operators to become IT departments. We also discovered that onboarding is everything—if you can’t get a group into headsets and running quickly, you kill throughput and the business model falls apart.
Bob:
How did you achieve scale, when most VR location businesses struggled to move beyond a handful of installs?
Alex:
We designed our platform to be plug-and-play for operators, most of whom are not tech people. Our content is highly optimized for different spaces and hardware, and we’re always listening to operators about pain points. We invested in remote support, automated updates, and tools to minimize the need for on-site expertise. Our goal was always “set it and forget it” as much as possible. We also focused on making our games modular, so operators can choose experiences that fit their space, budget, and audience.
Bob:
What do you think is misunderstood about building a successful VR escape room business?
Alex:
People underestimate the importance of operational simplicity and customer flow. If your experience takes 15 minutes to onboard or you have lots of downtime between groups, you can’t make money. Everything needs to be smooth: getting players into and out of headsets, running games back-to-back, supporting groups of different sizes, and minimizing tech support issues. We spend a ton of time on the unsexy stuff—interface design, reporting, error recovery—because that’s what keeps venues happy and profitable.
Bob:
How do you approach game design? What’s unique about a vrCAVE escape room?
Alex:
We always ask: Why VR? What makes this puzzle, environment, or challenge better in VR than in a physical escape room? If there’s no clear answer, we go back to the drawing board. We leverage things you can only do in VR—zero-gravity movement, underwater levels, giant moving parts, dramatic reveals. We also design for collaboration: every player should have a role, and success requires teamwork and communication. Our games are structured to make every participant feel valuable, whether they’re new to VR or seasoned gamers.
Bob:
How do you handle replayability and content updates? Physical escape rooms are usually a one-and-done experience.
Alex:
VR gives us a big advantage here. We can update puzzles, add new modes, and introduce seasonal content remotely. We have a library of games so operators can rotate experiences to drive repeat business. If something’s not working, we patch it or redesign it based on feedback. We also analyze data from all our venues to see where players get stuck or lose engagement and refine the experience over time. That’s impossible in a physical room.
Bob:
What do you see as the keys to profitability for VR escape room operators?
Alex:
Three things: throughput, reliability, and marketing. Throughput comes from minimizing downtime and maximizing group flow. Reliability means the system works day in, day out with minimal intervention. And marketing—well, you have to educate the public about what VR escape rooms are and why they’re worth trying. Word of mouth is huge, but you can’t rely on it alone. We give our partners marketing materials, trailers, and best practices for local outreach.
Bob:
How has your approach changed with the advent of standalone headsets like Quest and Pico?
Alex:
It’s a game changer. No more backpack PCs, fewer cables, easier setup, and lower costs for operators. We’ve spent a lot of effort porting and optimizing our content for standalone devices without compromising the quality. The biggest challenges are maintaining tracking fidelity and performance, but we’re now at a point where standalone hardware can deliver nearly all the immersion and presence that we need for our games. It also means faster onboarding and easier staff training.
Bob:
What are the most common mistakes you see new operators making?
Alex:
Overcomplicating things—too many experiences, too many hardware platforms, not enough attention to onboarding or staff training. Another big one is underestimating customer support. Even with the best systems, stuff happens: headsets fail, Wi-Fi drops, customers get confused. Having great, well-trained staff who can manage groups, troubleshoot quickly, and deliver a great guest experience is critical. The best operators are obsessed with customer service and keep their tech simple.
Bob:
Let’s talk about the games themselves. Any recent releases or future plans you can share?
Alex:
We just released “Alien Infection” for all standalone headsets, which is now our ninth escape room. We’re constantly working on new games and mechanics—right now, we’re experimenting with asymmetric gameplay, where players have different roles or abilities. We’re also exploring collaborations with IP holders for branded experiences, but we’re careful to only take on projects that make sense in VR and are operationally sound.
Bob:
You’ve built a platform that runs globally. How do you support so many different venues, some with very little technical expertise?
Alex:
Remote support is huge. We have systems for remote monitoring, diagnostics, and automated software updates. Our documentation is deep and always improving, and we provide training materials and onboarding for new operators. We try to design for the lowest common denominator—if it works for someone with zero VR experience, it’ll work for everyone.
Bob:
What’s something most people don’t realize about this business?
Alex:
It’s not just about cool tech or even great games. It’s about delivering a repeatable, reliable, and fun group experience that people tell their friends about. The operators who do best are the ones who treat this as both a hospitality and technology business.
Bob:
If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering opening a VR escape room, what would it be?
Alex:
Focus on operations. Visit successful locations, watch how they run groups, and pay attention to the details. If you get the flow right—onboarding, gameplay, and reset—you’ll be profitable. If you get distracted by gimmicks or overcomplicate the tech, you’ll struggle.
Bob:
Final thoughts? Where do you see the industry going?
Alex:
I’m optimistic. Standalone hardware will keep getting better, costs will keep coming down, and the audience for group VR is still growing fast. I think we’ll see more hybrid models—escape rooms that blend VR with physical props and sets, for example—and deeper integrations with popular IPs. But at the end of the day, it’s always going to be about the experience: delivering something memorable, social, and worth repeating.
Bob:
Thanks for sharing your insights, Alex. Congrats on all the success with vrCAVE.
Alex:
Thanks, Bob. Always happy to share, and if anyone wants to chat about the industry, they can find us at vrcave.io.
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